Memoirs in Ink And Blood
by Stuart Johnson
Summary: She betrayed us. She mislead us. She imposed her rule upon us. We rose in defiance. Sequel to The Monster We Made
1. Scroll

It was already late in the evening when it happened. I belched out a small burst of green flames as a letter suddenly entered my system. As the fire cooled, I could make out the signature sun insignia on the wax seal of a scroll.

A royal summons.

In an instant I had cracked the seal and unfurled the parchment. I felt a distinct feeling of dread rising in my gut. Something was wrong. Princess Celestia's penmanship was very thick, almost as if it had been written with a printing press. This script was not hers. It was thin, and sprawling, very distinctly hornwritten. Worse still, I recognized the style.

It was the same one Twilight used.

The letter didn't say much. It just requested my attendance at the palace as soon as possible. What really roused my suspicions however, was a small splotch of reddish brown in the lower corner. I sniffed at the stain, but there was no odor.I decided to give it a lick, out of curiosity. Immediately, I spit it out.

The taste was bitter and metallic. I knew what it was that very instant.

Blood.

I boarded the next train bound for Canterlot. I sat fidgeting the entire ride. My mind was racing, hurling itself through scenarios that only my darkest dreams could conjure. Was Twilight dead? Was she hurt?

When I arrived in Canterlot, I was greeted with the usual hustle and bustle of activity. Ritzy ponies wandered to and fro about the streets, their pockets jingling with gold as they searched for places to spend it. Even though the area felt rushed and frantic, there was a certain calm and tranquility to it. It felt like I had never left.

I made a bee line for the palace. I walked down the decadent white marble entryway, surrounded on either side by glistening white columns. In the gardens just off the pathway, ponies were scrambling to fill a large hole that had been left in the grass. Bits and pieces of stone and iron littered the grass. Casting my eyes upward, I located their point of origin. A large hole had been ripped through the wall of what I thought was the throne room.

Something was very wrong here.

Just beneath the normalcy, beneath the bustling tranquility, beneath the gleaming halls and opulent walls, something was very wrong.

I quickened my pace, going from a walk to a run in an instant. A few ponies remarked how "uncouth" I was as I dashed past them, nearly knocking one out of my way as I sprinted. I had to find Twilight. I passed a small detachment of guards on patrol. Each of them was clad in light purple armor, as though they wore plates of amethyst on their bodies.

They told me to halt.

I refused.

I ran as if my life depended on it, but it wasn't nearly as fast as the guards. I was tackled, as a rather burly earthpony hurled himself at me. He reared back on his hind legs, prepared to smash down on me with his hooves. I braced for impact.

_"Hold it!"_

Two hooves impacted the tile on either side of my head.

I and the guards turned to see Twilight standing in the hallway. She was stunning. Her wings were spread to their full length, making her appear absolutely massive. She looked the way a god ought to.

The earthpony mumbled an apology as he rose off of me. He left with the other guards. I stood alone with Twilight.

Something was very wrong.

Her eyes were set as stones. Her face appeared tired and haggard. Her mouth was contorted into a grimace. She looked as though she were holding back tears. She didn't speak a word, but simply motioned for me to follow her. Down the hall we went, the only sound being the pitter-patter of my claws and the clip-clop of her hooves.

We reached the door of the throne room. I gagged, fighting to keep the contents of my stomach within me. She hadn't even opened the door yet, but the foul odor of decay was heavy in the air. I could barely stand it, but Twilight was unfazed. She opened the door.

Inside were the bodies of Celestia and Cadence, both mutilated and almost unrecognizable. Twilight entered the room, and I followed at her heels. Scanning the room, I found numerous other corpses scattered about. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and...Rarity. I began to cry. Twilight was unfazed.

_"What happened?"_

Twilight's eyes were distant. She sighed.

_"Discord."_

My blood froze.

_"He's a madman, Spike. He always was, and he always will be. He waited until our guard was down, having fooled us with his 'change of heart'. Once we turned our backs on him, he saw his opportunity to strike."_

I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to take in all I had heard. The fragile little peace I had been living in shattered.

_"What do we do now?"_

My voice was hardly above a whisper. I didn't expect an answer, but I received one anyways.

_"Spike, take a letter."_

She passed me a quill and parchment.

Something was very wrong.

I didn't know what, but something felt off.

Twilight was unfazed.

_"Citizens of Equestria. Our world is in danger. Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, has returned to his old ways. He has already killed Luna, Celestia, and Cadence, along with the five other element bearers. The atrocities he has committed are despicable, cruel, and downright heinous. As your princess, I will not sit still for this. And you, as my people, should not sit still for this! Together, as one nation, we will bring Discord to justice, and we will make him pay for his crimes against equinity! Equestria, to war!"_


	2. Strength

She had called for war.

That was the last straw.

For too long I had refused to believe my sister was capable of something so cruel and calculated. I had buried my wife and sat through her funeral in denial. I had been lying awake night after night, staring at my ceiling unable to sleep, wondering what I could have done.

I should have gone with Cadence. I should have stood by her side and fought till my last breath as she had. Instead, I had sat by in denial, crying my eyes out with indecision as I was torn between my love for my wife and my love for my little sister.

I had been blind, deaf, and paralyzed.

I was done sitting by. I had received her call to war, and I had answered. I strode towards the newly cleaned throne room, my sword trailing behind me. I hadn't wielded a blade in almost five years, not since I had served on the northern border during the Gryphon wars.

The guards didn't stop me. I outranked them by far. There was only one who made an effort to stop me.

Prince Blueblood.

He seemed to be able to read my intentions almost instantly. He didn't say a word, but only fell in alongside me. The two of us slowly plodded down the last hallway together, silently acknowledging one another's presence.

We stood outside the heavy oak doors of the throne room, and finally the prince spoke to me.

_"What do you intend to do, Captain?"_

His question was valid. What did I intend to do? I couldn't kill her, could I? She was a goddess now. Her power was immeasurable, while mine was woefully limited. Even if I were of equal power, could I bring myself to do it? She was my sister, and deep down, I knew I still loved her. So what was I here for.

_"I'm here to right my wrongs. I should have acted. I should've nipped this in the bud, but I didn't. All I can do now is try to fix that."_

The prince nodded.

_"You're a fool. A brave one, but a fool nonetheless."_

He was right. I didn't dispute that. I only asked why he had come along with me.

_"You're not the only one with sins to mend."_

With that I threw open the doors. The resounding boom echoed through the throne room. I stormed in, my hooves stomping across the marble tiles. I raised my blade. It felt strange to wield it once more.

I saw Twilight, seated not on the throne, but on the floor. She sat hunched over a multitude of books, pouring over them with great gusto. I recalled fondly the nights she would spend in the same position at home, curled up by the fireplace with a good book.

_"Why are you here?"_

I didn't have a good answer. To atone for my sins? To slay a god? To avenge my wife? I didn't answer I only said the first thing that came to my mind.

_"I know it was you."_

She seemed so calm as she nodded in reply. It was as if she were in blissful serenity amid a world of chaos.

_"And you're here to avenge Cadence, aren't you?"_

I stood there in silence, blade poised, for some time. Blueblood filled in the silence as he conversed with the goddess, but I had filtered it out. Was that all this was? A mission of revenge? No. This was a mission of regret. I could no longer live with myself, and so I had resolved to clear my conscience or die trying.

An earsplitting crack suddenly snapped me back into reality. I watched as my sister's hoof shot out and struck the prince in the chest, hurling him across the room and skidding limply over the marble floor. I dashed to his side, quickly checking for signs of life. He gave a hacking cough, and cursed loudly. He was alive.

I looked up to see Twilight crossing the room with a single flap of her wings. I let out a scream of rage, and slashed at her with my blade. It chinked harmlessly upon her foreleg, as though I had struck metal rather than flesh. I told Blueblood to run, and run he did.

I pushed with all my might, a mere mortal throwing his weight against the wrath of an enraged goddess.

_"I don't want to fight you brother."_

Too late for that. My anger had boiled over. I would clear my conscience or die trying.

Before I could do either however, I was wrestled to the ground by three of the palace guards. I struggled and writhed in their grasp, trying to break their hold, but to no avail.

_"Don't fight me. I want you to fight **with** me."_

She wanted me to join her? After all she had put me through? After she had murdered my wife? Betrayed my trust? Thrown my homeland into chaos?

_"I'll never join you! You're a murderer! You killed Cadence!"_

I spat out the words as if they were poison. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I wailed. For the first time, I wailed for the death of my love.I wailed for the loss of the sister I cherished. I wailed for the innocent young who were slain by the friend they had trusted.

Suddenly, silence.

The world went black. I thought I felt myself slump to the floor, but I wasn't sure. Was this death?

Suddenly, I felt breath drawn into my lungs. The world exploded back into view, and sound once again rang in my eyes. I sat there panting for air.

Twilight's voice echoed in my mind.

_"Yes. I killed Cadence. But the same magic I used to slay her can give her back to you. I can raise her again, brother. All I ask is that you remain as captain of my guard."_

I had spent too long being inactive.

I had the opportunity get Cadence back.

I could right my wrongs.

All I could do was nod yes.


End file.
